St. Landry democrat., 1887-09-24
AT @AY0U SARA
Speeches of Colonel John Stone ana
=. Burrus 2ieGehee'
Colonel Holm Stone

y Hurrus Mcfsehee'
Colonel John Stone
of East Felciana made very forcl PIE
speech in the introduction OF when h9
expressed his regret chat 1t was l2tllo
necessary to make any detenseol Neb-
aral Nichols. and called attention %
The humiliatinc fact that there C0uld
Il be found in Louisiana men so destitute
- Of shame as to asSall the character OF
such a man as General AlChoIls whose
81 life had been q saCuhce tor DIS people
Mr.. Stone next considered the maIter
Of state finances, and after remarklnS
that the constitution directed lAe soH
erqlor to veto appropriations IN excess
a of revenues. he called attention to
what had happened in the case OIL the
STATE INSANE ASYLUM.
He SAID it was. perhaps of all lnstltu-
n lions the one most worthy OF solcltuue
& and care. and its affairs were supervised
II .hy men whose hearts are devoted to It's
n interests. The committee on Cn1r.
liable institutions OF the legislature OF
Il 1854, MI Richardson, chairman, re-
ported that the asylum received out OF
tha,approprlatlon for It's beneht war
fants Which were worth only d Genus
on the dollar. The speaker WONDERED
that such a thing could be possible That
the state, which had been delivered by
Nichols into the hands of the DelnoC-
n racy could, eight years later, suDullt
y the interests of its Insane to the depfe-
dations of brokers. He contended that
those who Instituted comparison De-
tween the financial CoudltloDs eAlsting
under the NlGhoIls ana MeLnoly az
n5fnlsufations did not know the tacts
He explained that under the former
administrator 1t euuIred soOb,oo0 more
to
PAY HE INTEREST
on the state debt than under the latter.
The legislative eX penSes OF lSIS previous
to the Constitutional amendments were
i SIS, 900 In excess of the expenses tor the
legislature of 1856. A comparison OF
the work accomplished by the Nlcholls
government with It's resources, ana the
McEnery admlnlstraton would, ne
held, show no advantage IN favor OF the
latter. Colonel Stone treated OF per
sonal government as illustrated by the
MeEneIy policy, and characterized his
recommendation for the abolition of
grand juries as the most snpremely
stupid AND unstate6manhke proceeding
ever taken by a governor OF Louisiana.
Now as to his good faith and consist
h encg as a Democrat" continued Nj.
= Stone, ION the night he was nominated
drafted a plank for the Democratic
n platform on which he was nominated,
snd which IN his speech OF acceptance
nepeposed to execute and stand upon,
90 was forthwith committed to the
y abolition of the
PENITE&IIARY LEASE,
80 in the Democratic platform. and
= hi. tirxt message after that he de-
IL could not be done. He
Scuses for the stand he had
hid at that session of the legls-
y l1I of mr.
IA of his Office to enforce the
attic platform, but he approved
Used at that SESSION, giving the
tiary lessees almost an absolute
Nv of the contracts for the con-
EfYen of thelevees." Mr.. Stone con-
aided that there was some covert rea-
rn for the failure to carry out the
napaocratic platform.
referring to the campaign, the speak
4 raid the canvass was being made on
hssoharseter OF the candidate, General
= Gicholls. He Contrasted the ouloglums
of certain papers on Governor Nichols
when he went out of Office with their
expressions ID the present campaign,
Mr.. Stone discussed the third term
nnestion in a spirited manner and COM
narad Governor Nichols uncomplaln-
inc retirement from office with Gov
ernor McEnery'S desire to continue III
Office. He spoke eloquently OF General
Nichols eminent services to his state,
and of his patriotism and devotion to
nrincicle and declared that he stood on
loo high plane to require defense at
the hands of any one. Mr.. stones ad-
dress was enthusiastically applauded.
MIR. j. B AEcGehee.
who was a member of the Nichols leg
;siature in 1S77-7S. spoke as follows:
when General Nichols last appeared
bcfaTe5 West Feliciana audience what
lords can portray the desperate condi.
anxiety! what unrest, what dismay
alternating with despair only for
hidden by desperate resolve to accom-
pIish her deliverance or die in the at
5eWWP So that now lives in the quiet pros
perity of we'll ordered government
can realize, can picture to their own
IMAGINATION that wOful condition, po-
titical, social and lndusJrlal2
Twice had the peoples government
been overthrown by the power of The
federal government; and at that time
federal bayonets pinned to our backs
tyranny as despicable--a tyranny of
plumber and usurpstlon-as odious as
ever, or more odions than ever Anglo
Saxon bore in the history of the word.
A presidential campaign, involving a
death struggle to the Republican party
of the United States, was upon us, and
the electoral vote of Louisiana was
necessary to it's salvation. This added
IFS complications. itstralns the mental
vision Of those who lived through those
trying scenes and the weary fifteen
wears that preceded them to picture to
their minds the horrors OF that almost
generation of horrors.
This. then. was the situation when
Francis IT. Nichols appeared upon the
scene, MANNED and
SHATTERED SOLDIER,
dragged from the rest of comfortable
home, to face the toll, suffering, anxiety
and responsibility OF a political cam
aaign little short of the horrors of the
bGnody strife which had so sorely smit-
What call brought him again to the
etont9 The call of duty to his people;
tha call of duty to his state; and forth
~ came. and amidst physical suffering Is
ii only he could tell-carrying re-
snonsibllify mountain high and noun
I'm heavy which only he could realize,
10 travelled from town to town. from
pS5s IN encourage the failing hearts
naI ia 'neonle and to carry conviction of
o9 or .ns n fhe hearts of their enemies.
us Isop,ow. citizens, what was the mes.
80 m brought to us In those dark
he III am elected governor of Louisiana
shoiA TAKE MY SEAT;
r.hau ha governor" IApplause.l Calm
sHan ,iatIg utBeRed-without Ostenta-
AZ, d9;thont bravado-but betokenlng
Jlou, a.,,,;na alton which no obstacle
q Igso retard, no foe could withstand.